Sports Head Injury Controversy

Recent recommendations brought forward by an international panal of neurologists have sparked a controversy – or maybe just some valuable conversation.

On sports fields around the world there are tens of thousands – perhaps hundreds of thousands of concussions every year.  These concussions, though often mild, can lead to post-traumatic headaches.  Worse, multiple injuries to someone recovering from a concussion can lead to swelling of the brain, which can be fatal (more on head trauma in sports here).

Neurologists have become very concerned about this.  Often a less-than-careful diagnosis can send an injured player back on the field, and the results can be permanent.

So the panel recommends stricter guidelines – if a player under 18 is even suspected to have concussion, she or he should not return to play the same day.

So why the controversy?  Well, some are concerned that this will simply lead to more players hiding their symptoms, and in the end even more players going back on the field with a concussion.  And there are politics involved, since various policy makers at different levels will decide in each country whether or not to accept the guidelines.

We all want to avoid the lingering after-trauma headaches, and the other serious and sometimes deadly consequences.  But how?

For more, read New Guidelines on Young Athletes’ Concussions Stir Controversy, heads up from Blisstree.com.